Josh Hazlewood picks combined India-Australia Test XI from current players

Team India is scheduled to tour Australia later this year. Despite the restrictions due to COVID-19, the BCCI has confirmed that the tour will be going ahead. Both the teams are scheduled to play three T20Is, four Tests and three ODIs. The Test series will be in focus more as it is always when the two sides lock horns. The Virat Kohli-led side had won the series in whites for the first time on their previous visit to Australia.

Ahead of the much-awaited upcoming contest between them, Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood has picked his combined Test XI from current players of the two teams. Being the bowler, he started with the pace attack selecting himself, Pat Cummins and Jasprit Bumrah. The trio has been doing well for their team and will form a perfect combination.

When it came to picking the spinners, Josh Hazlewood went with Nathan Lyon or Ravi Ashwin depending on the conditions. Lyon is brilliant when it comes to playing in Australia, and he naturally gets wickets in India while Ashwin seems invincible in Asia and has improved a lot overseas too. 

Cheteshwar Pujara to not bat at three in Josh Hazlewood’s XI

India and Australia both have some exceptional batsmen in their line-ups and to accommodate all of them in their preferred position was tough for Josh Hazlewood. He went with Steve Smith to bat at number three with Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara following him at number four and five. It looks a power-packed middle-order as at least one of them will score big in the game.

Interestingly, the Aussie pacer picked Mayank Agarwal as an opener to partner David Warner at the top stating that he kept the future in mind. “Openers would be Mayank Agarwal – taking future in consideration – and David Warner,” Hazlewood said while speaking to WION.

In the end, for the number six position, he selected two players, Marnus Labuschagne and Rohit Sharma, while saying that one of them would play depending on their ability to change the game. Tim Paine made the cut as the wicket-keeper in Hazlewood’s XI.

Here’s Josh Hazlewood’s India-Australia combined Test XI: Mayank Agarwal, David Warner, Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma/Marnus Labuschagne, Tim Paine (WK), Ravi Ashwin/Nathan Lyon, Pat Cummins, Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood.